The Meaning of Christmas: A Monograph
compiled by Patrick Spacek, author of The Parking Lot is Full.
=====================================
Everybody stops
and stares at me
These two teeth are
gone as you can see
I don't know just who
to blame for this catastrophe!
But my one wish on Christmas Eve
is as plain as it can be!
Shall we hang the holly, or each other? Christmas is
difficult to defend. For men and women rooted in, and
wholly dependent upon nature's provender, the ever
darker and colder days have made this a season of
terrors.
Noel, Noel, Noel, Noel,
born is the King of Israel.
Pastoralists would be compelled to slaughter some of
their valuable animals as pastures were smothered
under snow. What likely began as an act of sheer
desperation (propitiation rites to coax back the
waning life-giver) were formalized when one of
history's nameless geniuses realized that course of
the sun could be not only be plotted, but the day of
it's return accurately predicted. Europe's monolithic
standing stones and observatories bear silent witness
to the power these ideas had for our forebears.
Oh how they pound,
raising the sound,
o'er hill and dale,
telling their tale,
Gaily they ring
while people sing
songs of good cheer,
Christmas is here.
The word 'Yule' comes from the Norse 'Jul,' meaning
wheel. The Golden Bough, was the ritual slaying of the
old king by the new. Yule represented the rebirth of
the Oak King, as much as that of the sun. Celts, Norse
and Teutons considered trees the earthly
representatives of the gods. The Yule log was
decorated with evergreens and ribbons, and a libation
poured over it before the lighting. Holly is still
affixed to the door of our houses without our quite
understanding why.
O Christmas tree, O Christmas tree!
How are thy leaves so verdant!
O Christmas tree, O Christmas tree,
How are thy leaves so verdant!
Not only in the summertime,
But even in winter is thy prime.
O Christmas tree, O Christmas tree,
How are thy leaves so verdant!
There were songs, dances and libations (for tree and
man) until finally, in frustration, the trees would be
threatened with the axe if they did not produce well
in the coming year.
Brightly shone the moon that night,
though the frost was cruel
When a poor man came in sight,
Gathering winter fuel.
The date assigned to Christ's birth is no coincidence.
The first reference to the date does not occur until
354 A.D., in a Roman almanac. By then the church had
apparently conceded that, as with Samhain, converts
would bring their beloved customs with them, and
efforts to discredit or dislodge these would merely
prove futile. Thus in the fourth-century, the first
Christian Emperor, Constantine, assigned Christ's
nativity to December 25.
Silent night! Holy night!
All is calm, all is bright
round yon virgin mother and child,
Holy infant so tender and mild,
sleep in Heavenly peace!
sleep in Heavenly peace!
To save erring humanity from sin, Mithras (the
Invincible Sun) was born into the world to offer
adherents salvation. There is evidence of Mithraic
practice from 1,400 B.C. Most of the things we love
about Christmas are old beyond reckoning. In time, the
neglected old gods may have disappeared, but their
legacy is decidedly with us to this day.
God and sinners reconcile.
Joyful, all ye nations, rise,
join the triumph of the skies
A great favourite of the Middle Ages was the Christmas
Eve Festival of the Ass, when a young girl with a babe
in arms rode a donkey into the church. Throughout the
mass, prayers ended with a braying hee-haw from priest
and congregation alike. Christmas was essentially a
heathen solstice festival, only brushed with the
thinnest Christian veneer. Christmas Eve was
considered by many Europeans to be a Night of
Miracles. At the stroke of midnight, farm animals were
said to kneel and worship, these same animals acquire
the gift of speech.
What child is this, who, laid to rest
On Mary's lap, is sleeping?
Whom angels greet with anthems sweet,
While shepherds watch are keeping?
Born in 280 A.D., St. Nicholas was Bishop of Myra,
(then part of the Holy Roman Empire) -- now Demre, in
Islamic Turkey. Protector of sailors, during a period
of famine, he established his reputation in restoring
life to three brothers who were butchered, salted, and
ready for consumption. St. Nicholas' real world was
hardly the cozy North Pole confection he inhabits
today.
Chestnuts roasting on an open fire
Jack Frost nipping at your nose
Yuletide carols being sung by a choir
And folks dressed up like eskimos
Everybody knows a turkey and some mistletoe
Help to make the season bright
Tiny tots with their eyes all aglow
Will find it hard to sleep tonight
Efforts to undermine every last vestige of 'pagan'
heretics are all too predictable. Some of us, though,
are just a little reluctant to admit that our premier
holiday, with its message of peace on earth, good will
toward men, may not perpetuate our belief system. The
message is the same as ever: we cannot defend what we
do not know.
Fa la la la la la la la la
He was made of snow
Fa la la la la la la la la
He came to life one day
Fa la la la la la la la la
He began to dance around
Fa la la la la la la la la
Alive as he could be
Fa la la la la la la la la
The sun was hot that day
Fa la la la la la la la la
With a broomstick in his hand
Fa la la la la la la la la
I'll be back again some day
I'll be back again some day
I'll be back again some day
Heedless of the wind and weather
---
Sources:
http://www.chebucto.ns.ca/~ai251/xcarol.html
http://www.canadafirst.net/our_heritage/christmas/
=====================================
Everybody stops
and stares at me
These two teeth are
gone as you can see
I don't know just who
to blame for this catastrophe!
But my one wish on Christmas Eve
is as plain as it can be!
Shall we hang the holly, or each other? Christmas is
difficult to defend. For men and women rooted in, and
wholly dependent upon nature's provender, the ever
darker and colder days have made this a season of
terrors.
Noel, Noel, Noel, Noel,
born is the King of Israel.
Pastoralists would be compelled to slaughter some of
their valuable animals as pastures were smothered
under snow. What likely began as an act of sheer
desperation (propitiation rites to coax back the
waning life-giver) were formalized when one of
history's nameless geniuses realized that course of
the sun could be not only be plotted, but the day of
it's return accurately predicted. Europe's monolithic
standing stones and observatories bear silent witness
to the power these ideas had for our forebears.
Oh how they pound,
raising the sound,
o'er hill and dale,
telling their tale,
Gaily they ring
while people sing
songs of good cheer,
Christmas is here.
The word 'Yule' comes from the Norse 'Jul,' meaning
wheel. The Golden Bough, was the ritual slaying of the
old king by the new. Yule represented the rebirth of
the Oak King, as much as that of the sun. Celts, Norse
and Teutons considered trees the earthly
representatives of the gods. The Yule log was
decorated with evergreens and ribbons, and a libation
poured over it before the lighting. Holly is still
affixed to the door of our houses without our quite
understanding why.
O Christmas tree, O Christmas tree!
How are thy leaves so verdant!
O Christmas tree, O Christmas tree,
How are thy leaves so verdant!
Not only in the summertime,
But even in winter is thy prime.
O Christmas tree, O Christmas tree,
How are thy leaves so verdant!
There were songs, dances and libations (for tree and
man) until finally, in frustration, the trees would be
threatened with the axe if they did not produce well
in the coming year.
Brightly shone the moon that night,
though the frost was cruel
When a poor man came in sight,
Gathering winter fuel.
The date assigned to Christ's birth is no coincidence.
The first reference to the date does not occur until
354 A.D., in a Roman almanac. By then the church had
apparently conceded that, as with Samhain, converts
would bring their beloved customs with them, and
efforts to discredit or dislodge these would merely
prove futile. Thus in the fourth-century, the first
Christian Emperor, Constantine, assigned Christ's
nativity to December 25.
Silent night! Holy night!
All is calm, all is bright
round yon virgin mother and child,
Holy infant so tender and mild,
sleep in Heavenly peace!
sleep in Heavenly peace!
To save erring humanity from sin, Mithras (the
Invincible Sun) was born into the world to offer
adherents salvation. There is evidence of Mithraic
practice from 1,400 B.C. Most of the things we love
about Christmas are old beyond reckoning. In time, the
neglected old gods may have disappeared, but their
legacy is decidedly with us to this day.
God and sinners reconcile.
Joyful, all ye nations, rise,
join the triumph of the skies
A great favourite of the Middle Ages was the Christmas
Eve Festival of the Ass, when a young girl with a babe
in arms rode a donkey into the church. Throughout the
mass, prayers ended with a braying hee-haw from priest
and congregation alike. Christmas was essentially a
heathen solstice festival, only brushed with the
thinnest Christian veneer. Christmas Eve was
considered by many Europeans to be a Night of
Miracles. At the stroke of midnight, farm animals were
said to kneel and worship, these same animals acquire
the gift of speech.
What child is this, who, laid to rest
On Mary's lap, is sleeping?
Whom angels greet with anthems sweet,
While shepherds watch are keeping?
Born in 280 A.D., St. Nicholas was Bishop of Myra,
(then part of the Holy Roman Empire) -- now Demre, in
Islamic Turkey. Protector of sailors, during a period
of famine, he established his reputation in restoring
life to three brothers who were butchered, salted, and
ready for consumption. St. Nicholas' real world was
hardly the cozy North Pole confection he inhabits
today.
Chestnuts roasting on an open fire
Jack Frost nipping at your nose
Yuletide carols being sung by a choir
And folks dressed up like eskimos
Everybody knows a turkey and some mistletoe
Help to make the season bright
Tiny tots with their eyes all aglow
Will find it hard to sleep tonight
Efforts to undermine every last vestige of 'pagan'
heretics are all too predictable. Some of us, though,
are just a little reluctant to admit that our premier
holiday, with its message of peace on earth, good will
toward men, may not perpetuate our belief system. The
message is the same as ever: we cannot defend what we
do not know.
Fa la la la la la la la la
He was made of snow
Fa la la la la la la la la
He came to life one day
Fa la la la la la la la la
He began to dance around
Fa la la la la la la la la
Alive as he could be
Fa la la la la la la la la
The sun was hot that day
Fa la la la la la la la la
With a broomstick in his hand
Fa la la la la la la la la
I'll be back again some day
I'll be back again some day
I'll be back again some day
Heedless of the wind and weather
---
Sources:
http://www.chebucto.ns.ca/~ai251/xcarol.html
http://www.canadafirst.net/our_heritage/christmas/